Stand Up For Farmers
In the face of unjustified tariffs and Liberal inaction, the House of Commons must hold the government to account.
Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, sent the following letter to the Hon. Francis Scarpaleggia, Speaker of the House of Commons, requesting an Emergency Debate on the ongoing crisis in our canola industry:
Dear Mr. Speaker,
As Canada’s farmers are finishing this year’s harvest, they face a frightening future due to falling prices for canola and peas because of Beijing’s unjustified tariffs. Pork and seafood also face debilitating 25% tariffs and beef exports to China have been blocked completely since 2021. For more than a month, Conservatives have been calling for action to deliver relief for these hard-working Canadian businesses, who have been left holding the bag for the federal government’s failures.
Mark Carney pitched himself as a negotiator who promised “engagement with China at the highest level to seek the removal of these tariffs”. Yet, seven months later, he has failed to take any meaningful action or secure access to markets which earned our farmers $5 billion last year.
Instead, tariffs continue to cause deep uncertainty, and canola prices have collapsed, making the situation worse and worse for our producers. Farmers abandoned by the Liberals deserve a voice and accountability, and Canadians deserve answers.
The parliamentary calendar is set by the Liberal government, and there are no scheduled opposition days that would allow us to address the issues pummelling our great Canadian farmers, including for canola and peas. Given the disaster facing them, it is incumbent upon you to grant this debate. Failing to grant an Emergency Debate would be an insult to farmers across Canada.
This is not just economics, it’s about a government that stands up for its people and its workers in the face of foreign intimidation. Parliament must have a chance to hold the government to account for their inaction and, with billions in canola sales on the line, it must have it soon.